As a small-scale video/film maker, I have had to be super-duper indie in my approach to the art. Usually only a few people are involved. When we did the “Margaret” video a few years back, it was just Bruno Franceschini and I filming and setting up shots, Juliette the ballerina, and a crowd of volunteers to fill the auditorium. Bruno also had a cameo in the “Traffic Lights” video and co-starred in the Mississippi video along with Michael Krise. He and I teamed up again to film the video for “The Floor of this House”, which was recently accepted to appear in the first Show Low Film Festival. After filming, I got some help from ceramic/visual artist Magda Gluszek for editing. It was fun to go back through the footage and pick the most impactful moments. We are all pretty excited for this accomplishment!
The concept behind the video was mostly impressionistic in nature (a term I often use and love in musical/filmic context, but not so much for painting as it is most commonly used…weird). The location we found, up in the mountains beyond the border of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, resonates with mysterious echoes of life. It was perfect for capturing the essence of the song, which is told from the point of view of a struggling farmer, a father and husband, who wrestles with his own identity and the attempt to make his ancestors proud in his own mind. As such, the goal was to have the imagery tell a story rather than have a character narrative unfold. The well-worn, yet empty, walls and floors of the structures set that particular stage, and we made an effort to capture the most intriguing angles and play with the light and shadows.
The Show Low Film Festival will be held from October 11 through 14 at WME theaters in Pinetop-Lakeside. To see the video for “The Floor of this House”, go to the homepage of my site, or click below: